Summer Advocacy Training Opportunity

This is a guest blog from Renee Fry, Policy Consultant for the Weitz Family Foundation. This blog is estimated to take 4 minutes to read.

Are you a grantee interested in learning how to be a better advocate at the state and local level? Or are you simply interested in learning more about the process of state and local government with other passionate nonprofit leaders? If you answered yes to either of these questions, read more about our summer advocacy training. This training is a prerequisite to Lobby School (more on that below!) for those grantees who want to develop their advocacy skills further and build deeper relationships with other nonprofit leaders.

In partnership with Sarah Keeney and the Institute for Public Leadership, the Weitz Family Foundation and Lozier Foundation are offering a six-day advocacy training on a series of Thursdays beginning on July 17 and ending on September 4.

During this training series, Sarah and I will lead the cohort through a training intended to provide you with the foundation to advocate at the state and local level. In addition to learning from us, you will have the opportunity to hear from experts on policy and advocacy from partners such as former State Senator Brenda Council, Meg Mikolajczyk, Executive Director of the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, and Laurie Ponce, Executive Director of the Coalition for a Strong Nebraska. Several elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and professional lobbyists will share their experiences and expertise with you over this six-day series. Topics include an overview of local and state legislative processes, communications training, grassroots lobbying, and compliance.

Dates for the advocacy training are listed below, note that not all Thursday trainings are consecutive. Please do not apply if you have to miss more than one session:

• July 17
• July 24
• July 31
• August 7
• August 21
• September 4

Applications will be released on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, and are due on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Selected applicants will be notified by mid-May. An email with a link to the application will be sent to each grantee’s contact in the grant management database. If you are interested in applying, please make sure your organizational contact forwards the email to you. Space is limited. The application process is competitive and demonstrating a commitment to equity is a key criterion for acceptance.

Lobby School

The Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, in partnership with the Coalition for a Strong Nebraska, will host the fifth Lobby School cohort starting in the fall of 2025.

Lobby School leverages the expertise of Nebraska Table Executive Director Meg Mikolajczyk, Coalition for a Strong Nebraska Executive Director Laurie Ponce, former State Senator Brenda Council, and me – who bring different and complementary skill sets and areas of practice – as well as the Lobby School alumni network to develop participants’ growth in this work.

The next Lobby School cohort will meet approximately once per month from August 2025 through April 2026. The program will consist of monthly in-person training days before the Nebraska Legislative Session begins, an in-person cohort meeting on the first day of the Legislative Session, regular online cohort meetings during the Legislative Session, and weekly one-on-ones with a Lobby School mentor for technical support around policy, direct and grassroots lobbying, and communications.

Participants will be paired for support and mentorship with a policy expert, based on each participant’s interest areas and goals. The cohort will move through the Session together, participating in training relevant to the phases of legislative policymaking at the state level. Such training will include preparing for and executing a hearing strategy, partnering with senators and other advocates to run floor debates, and developing communications strategies.

The program will end in April/May of 2026, bringing the cohort together to reflect on successes and lessons learned during the Session and celebrate successes together.

Look for more information about the Lobby School application process from the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table on or before Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The 2025/2026 cohort will be limited in size, with applicants being notified of acceptance in mid-August. Applicants are asked to submit the policy goal they want to focus on for this hands-on learning experience. We have found that participants with a specific Lobby School goal, particularly bringing a piece of legislation, get the most out of the experience. Therefore, we now require participants to bring a bill.

Teaching, mentoring, and learning from participants in our various trainings has been one of the most rewarding opportunities of my career, and I look forward to working with a new group of advocates alongside our fellow mentors. I hope you will consider applying!